Improvement in fences



D. WRIGHT. Fence.

No. 213,799. Patented April 1,1879.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID WRIGHT, OF AUBURN, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN FENCES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N0. 213,799, dated April 1, 1879 application filed December 18, 1878.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, DAVID WRIGHT, of the city of Auburn, in the county of Cayuga and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Fences, which improvements are fully set forth in the following specifiation, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 represents a front view of the fence. Fig. 2 represents a vertical section of one of the rails. Fig. 3 represents a front view of a portion of a post and rail with its connections, and Fig. 4 represents a side view of a portion of a post.

My invention consists in a wooden fence-post having skeleton recesses formed by nails, arranged as shown, and driven straight or inclined, whereby they can be adjusted to suit the ends of rails of varying sizes and adapted for straight or worm fences.

It consists, also, in the combination of the said wooden fence post having skeleton recesses formed by nails, arranged as shown, and driven straight or inclined, with a rail having a groove and a recess for the head of the nail -to retain the rail connected to the post.

In the drawings, A represents the posts. B represents the rails; G, the side or lateral supports of the rails; D, the direct supports of the ends of the rails; E, the staple which retains the rail D in place; F, G, H, and I, the open spaces between the rails; K, the slight recess or groove in the lower edge of the ends of the rails, when deemed necessary, as hereinafter described.

In constructing a fence intended to be in a straight line, the posts are inserted in the earth in the usual manner. Strong nails (marked D in the drawings) should then be driven into the posts, at points where it is desired the ends of the rails should be supported, leaving a sufficient length of the nails outside of the posts, each nail to serve as the direct support for one end of a rail. Above each of these nails, although not in line therewith, the nails marked 0 in the drawings should be driven. These should be driven in opposite pairs, with sufficient space between them to admit the ends of the rails to pass into the skeleton recess formed by nails D O G, and so that they shall rest on and be supported by the nails D, the nails 0 O supporting the ends of the rails laterally. These nails 0 U are preferably without heads.

The places for the nails 0 O, above the nail D, will be governed by the width of the end of the rail which is to be passed between them, as it is expedient that these lateral supports should be above the center of the width of the end of the rails; and in case a wide board should be used,

it may be expedient to use two nails on each side for lateral support. It may also be expedient in such case to cut a slight groove in the lower edge of the board, running from the end thereof a sufficient distance, and of suflicient depth to receive the nails D therein, which would hold the lower edge of the board in place laterally, and which may readily be made with a saw. When a sufficient number of these skeleton recesses D O 0 shall have been formed upon the sides of the posts which stand opposite each other to support the rails intended to form a panel of fence, the ends of the rails should be placed therein, the lower edges of the ends of the rails resting upon the nails D, and the panel of fence will be complete.

If poles or ordinary split timber should be used for rails, it will be expedient to reduce the thickness of the ends to the thickness of from one to two inches.

Should it be desired to construct a fence wholly removable, the panels should be so con nected as to form a zigzag, with posts standing upon the surface of the ground.

In forming such fence the rails should be con nected with the posts in all respects as above described; but in addition to what would be required in a straight fence with posts inserted in the ground, it would be necessary that each end of the top rail should be rigidly connected with the post, in order to keep the posts in an upright position, which may be done by making the recess or groove in the lower edge of the rail (marked K in the drawings) only of sufficient width to allow the body of the nail D to pass therein, so that the head of the nail, when driven into the recess or groove, shall cut a shoulder in each side thereof, and thus the nail D will hold the end of the rail rigidly to the post. If deemed necessary the head of this nail may be held from being forced out of the groove by a staple, as shown in Fig. 2.

I am aware that cast-iron fence-posts have been formed and cast with cleats to support rails similar to mine; but posts so constructed have not the advantages of mine, and I lay no claims to such; but

What I claim is- 1. A wooden fence-post, A, having skeleton recesses formed by nails (3 U D, arranged as shown and driven straight or inclined, whereby they can be adjusted to suit the ends of rails B of varying sizes and adapted for straight or worm fences.

2. A wooden fence-post, A,having skeleton recesses formed by nails 0 O D arranged as DAVID WRIGHT.

Witnesses:

T. H. FAIRFAX, FRANK It. RATIIBUN. 

